It was an important day in Cairo. Yes, it was an important day at Egypt's Journalism Syndicate on Wednesday.
You got not less than 3000 journalists showing up in the morning to attend an urgent general assembly meeting.
Usually , the general assembly meeting during the elections of the board fails to attract that number and yet despite all the threats and odds journalists went.
They went despite that disgusting campaign in the Pro-regime TV channels against journalists and their syndicate.
They went despite those thugs and hired Pro-Sisi supporters who came on buses to make another siege around the Journalists syndicate in addition to the existing security siege.
The journalists went despite the thugs hurled bottles , gave them the finger and insulted them in the worst way ever.
They went to their syndicate after passing several security checkpoints to show their Syndicate memberships to the police officers.
From the photos I have seen and from the testimonies of my colleagues who are lucky enough to be members of the syndicate , most of those who came were the young generations.
It is not a surprise because after all the younger generations are actually the majority of the Egyptian people.
Older generations including very famous veteran journalists and authors did not show up.
Maybe, this is why the decisions or demands taken were much bolder than anyone could expect.
Already it was the journalists who insisted that the Egyptian Presidency should apologize to the syndicate and the journalists, not the board.
The members of the board who are being smeared on a daily basis wanted the cabinet to apologize instead but the journalists insisted on the presidency.
Then came the historical decision : To ban the mention of the minister of interior's name in the printed and online publication in Egypt and to publish his negative photo instead.
This is more than historical. It is not only that it is the first time in the history of modern Egypt that interior like that. It is also the first time in the Arab world and probably the Middle East.
press treats the minister of
For the first time as far as I could the Egyptian journalists agree to break the media gag order impose by the Prosecutor General in the case of Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka arrest aka the Storming of the Journalists syndicate.
I have not read something like that before.
Of course, part of me does not under how several Pro-regime newspapers and websites like Youm 7 are following the decisions of the syndicate board.
Some say it has to do with the ongoing fight between apparatuses. Still the majority of journalists who went on Wednesday are not concerned with that fight.
Already from what I understand and read later , Pro-regime editors-in-chiefs did not like some of the decisions.
Still, everyone knows that things are now complicated.
The road to a true civil society starts with small steps like that and actually this is not small at all. Already , this meeting comes after the Doctors' syndicate bold move.
There are still even bigger fights coming on the way. The head of Journalists syndicate, Yahia Qallash is facing over 700 legal complaints only for allegedly insulting Upper Egyptians because of a stupid remark he said while he was nervous on some TV show.
He apologized for the remarks but the former NDP lawyers in Upper Egypt found it as a perfect way to present their credentials to the current regime.
Qallash , who is a veteran unionist is having the true fight of his lifetime .
Aside from the current crisis or fight and the upcoming legal complaints presented to the Prosecutor General who can charge him with aiding fugitives , he and Egyptian journalists still got the fight of the upcoming Media and journalism law in the House of Representatives.
It is the true fight about Freedom of expression.We can not give up now as journalists.
Anyhow, I am happy that I witnessed that day the Egyptian journalists agreed to publish negative photos of the minister of interior in times of fear like that.
Breaking that barrier of fear is important.
Again, this is an important step in enforcing the civil society and paving the road for democracy. Unions and syndicates play a crucial role and ask Tunisia.
I am proud of being an Egyptian Journalist.
You got not less than 3000 journalists showing up in the morning to attend an urgent general assembly meeting.
Usually , the general assembly meeting during the elections of the board fails to attract that number and yet despite all the threats and odds journalists went.
They went despite that disgusting campaign in the Pro-regime TV channels against journalists and their syndicate.
 |
| Egyptian journalists outside the syndicate because there was no place inside "Ayman Hafez" |
The journalists went despite the thugs hurled bottles , gave them the finger and insulted them in the worst way ever.
 |
| The thugs giving the journalists the finger outside the syndicate "Abdel Rahman Ansary" |
They went to their syndicate after passing several security checkpoints to show their Syndicate memberships to the police officers.
From the photos I have seen and from the testimonies of my colleagues who are lucky enough to be members of the syndicate , most of those who came were the young generations.
It is not a surprise because after all the younger generations are actually the majority of the Egyptian people.
Older generations including very famous veteran journalists and authors did not show up.
Maybe, this is why the decisions or demands taken were much bolder than anyone could expect.
Already it was the journalists who insisted that the Egyptian Presidency should apologize to the syndicate and the journalists, not the board.
The members of the board who are being smeared on a daily basis wanted the cabinet to apologize instead but the journalists insisted on the presidency.
Then came the historical decision : To ban the mention of the minister of interior's name in the printed and online publication in Egypt and to publish his negative photo instead.
This is more than historical. It is not only that it is the first time in the history of modern Egypt that interior like that. It is also the first time in the Arab world and probably the Middle East.
 |
| The photo of the minister of interior in Egypt now who shall not be named |
For the first time as far as I could the Egyptian journalists agree to break the media gag order impose by the Prosecutor General in the case of Amr Badr and Mahmoud El-Sakka arrest aka the Storming of the Journalists syndicate.
I have not read something like that before.
Of course, part of me does not under how several Pro-regime newspapers and websites like Youm 7 are following the decisions of the syndicate board.
Some say it has to do with the ongoing fight between apparatuses. Still the majority of journalists who went on Wednesday are not concerned with that fight.
Already from what I understand and read later , Pro-regime editors-in-chiefs did not like some of the decisions.
Still, everyone knows that things are now complicated.
The road to a true civil society starts with small steps like that and actually this is not small at all. Already , this meeting comes after the Doctors' syndicate bold move.
There are still even bigger fights coming on the way. The head of Journalists syndicate, Yahia Qallash is facing over 700 legal complaints only for allegedly insulting Upper Egyptians because of a stupid remark he said while he was nervous on some TV show.
He apologized for the remarks but the former NDP lawyers in Upper Egypt found it as a perfect way to present their credentials to the current regime.
Qallash , who is a veteran unionist is having the true fight of his lifetime .
Aside from the current crisis or fight and the upcoming legal complaints presented to the Prosecutor General who can charge him with aiding fugitives , he and Egyptian journalists still got the fight of the upcoming Media and journalism law in the House of Representatives.
 |
| Head of journalists syndicate Yahia Qallash "His official FB page" |
Anyhow, I am happy that I witnessed that day the Egyptian journalists agreed to publish negative photos of the minister of interior in times of fear like that.
Breaking that barrier of fear is important.
Again, this is an important step in enforcing the civil society and paving the road for democracy. Unions and syndicates play a crucial role and ask Tunisia.
I am proud of being an Egyptian Journalist.
Instead of pointing the middle finger, if every Sissi supporter donated one LE each morning to national treasury, the economy will improve. After all, the verb is almost the same!
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